Canopy for umbrellas

ABSTRACT

A canopy system for increasing the coverage of multiple umbrellas has been disclosed. The canopy system includes a canopy portion and at least one fastener for removeably attaching the canopy portion to a first and second umbrella. The fastener can attach to unmodified portions of an umbrella so that the canopy system may be used with existing umbrellas and umbrellas not especially manufactured to couple with a canopy. The canopy system may advantageously include a support structure for supporting the canopy portion in a desired shape. The length of the canopy system can be adjustable and the system can be easily collapsed for storage and portability.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/087656 which claims priority to provisional application No.61/324,674 filed Apr. 15, 2010.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is umbrellas and coverings.

BACKGROUND

Umbrellas have been used for centuries as a portable means forprotecting a user from the sun and rain. A major problem with existingumbrellas is the limited coverage area, especially when multiple usersare contemplated. Most umbrellas are too small for more than one person.While there are bigger umbrellas that provide coverage for two or maybeeven three people, these umbrellas are usually heavy and bulky. In asituation where groups of people need coverage, such as children, thebigger umbrellas often fail to provide sufficient coverage. It would beadvantageous to provide a portable means for covering large groups ofpeople.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,289 to Anderson and U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,080 to Maboth describe umbrellas that can be expanded to accommodate multiplepeople. In Ma, the umbrella is expanded by separating the middle stemand handle into two separate stems and handles, which stretches theumbrella canopy and reveals a central flap portion. With the centralflap portion exposed, the expanded umbrella provides double the coveragearea than when the umbrella is retracted. In this manner, Ma provides anumbrella that can be used for one person, or alternatively, the umbrellacan be expanded to accommodate several people. While Ma does provide auseful improvement on umbrellas and addresses the problem of coveringmultiple people, Ma suffers from several drawbacks: (i) the umbrellamust be specially manufactured with unique features that allow forexpanding and retracting, (ii) the umbrella coverage area is stillfairly limited and can only comfortably accommodate two or three people,(iii) the central flap portion is permanently attached to the umbrella,making the umbrella, unnecessarily heavy when used in a retracted modefor a single-person, and (iv) the umbrella is not capable of joiningwith a second distinct umbrella.

International Patent Application Publication WO 02/26073 to Yu disclosesjoining two umbrellas with a connecting fabric so that two people canwalk together in close proximity while under their respective umbrellas.Each umbrella is especially manufactured with an expandable/retractablerib. When the umbrellas are used separately, the rib is expanded to havea length equal to the non-extendable ribs on the umbrellas. The twoumbrellas can be joined by retracting the expandable/retractable ribsand attaching the connecting fabric. In this manner, two umbrella userscan be close to each other white using their umbrellas. Although Yucontemplates joining two umbrellas, Yu fails to provide a connectingcanopy that can comfortably accommodate more than two people. Moreover,Yu requires that the umbrellas be specifically manufactured with uniquefeatures, such as the extendable/retractable rib and hook and lookfastener strips.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,101,000 to DeMars and CN201299185Y also contemplatejoining two umbrellas with a connecting flap. However, like Yu, theconnecting flap/canopy in DeMars and CN201299185Y are not configured tocomfortably accommodate more than two people. Moreover, the umbrellastaught therein are specifically designed to mate with the connectingflap, thus preventing the connecting flap from being used with existingumbrellas.

International Publication Number WO 2007/027979 to D'Firo describes acanopy extension that can be attached to the normal features of anexisting umbrella, thereby obviating the need for a customer to purchasea new umbrella. While D'Firo provides a useful invention for extendingthe coverage of existing umbrellas, D'Firo fails to contemplate that acanopy can be used to join two existing umbrellas. Moreover, the canopyextension contemplated in D'Firo must conform to the shape of the outerperimeter of the umbrella, thus preventing the canopy from being usedwith different sized umbrellas having different shaped perimeters. Insum, the prior art fails to disclose a canopy for connecting multipleexisting umbrellas, wherein the canopy is completely removeable from theumbrellas and is sized and dimensioned to provide a coverage area largeenough to comfortably accommodate multiple people.

These and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein areincorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or useof a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary tothe definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that termprovided herein applies and the definition of that term in the referencedoes not apply.

Unless the context dictates the contrary, all ranges set forth hereinshould be interpreted as being inclusive of their endpoints andopen-ended ranges should be interpreted to include only commerciallypractical values. Similarly, all lists of values should be considered asinclusive of intermediate values unless the context indicates thecontrary.

What has yet to be appreciated is that a canopy system for connectingtwo umbrellas can include fasteners that are configured to attach thecanopy to unmodified portions of existing umbrellas. Thus, there isstill a need for a methods and systems that join two or more existingumbrellas in order to provide greater coverage area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The inventive subject matter provides apparatus, systems and methods inwhich a canopy having at least one fastener is configured to couple witha first and second umbrella. The fastener is configured to removeablyattach to unmodified portions of the first and the second umbrellas,thus allowing the canopy to be used with existing umbrellas that are notspecifically designed to receive canopy fasteners.

As used herein, “canopy” means an object that is configured to providesubstantial coverage of a user. As used herein, “unmodified portions” ofan umbrella means the portions are not especially manufactured toreceive a fastener of a canopy system, and do not require any structuralchange or modification in order to receive the canopy fastener. Thus,extending the spokes of a typical umbrella in order to deploy and openup the umbrella would not be a “modification” (i.e. the spokes would beconsidered an “unmodified portion” of the umbrella), as long as theumbrella spokes were not especially designed and included within theumbrella for the purposes of receiving a connecting canopy fastener. Onthe other hand, a zipper on the umbrella would be a “modified portion”if it was especially included on the umbrella for the purposes ofattaching a canopy. As used herein, “especially manufactured,”“especially designed,” and “especially included” meansmanufactured/designed/included for the intended purpose of attaching acanopy fastener.

The canopy can have an adjustable length, such as by including pleatsthat can be flattened out or folded up, allowing the user to select andcontrol the amount of coverage provided by the canopy system. The canopyand fastener can also be configured to attach to a third umbrella, thusjoining the third umbrella with the first and second umbrellas. Thecanopy preferably provides coverage for one person, more preferablythree people, most preferably five people, not including the peopleholding the umbrellas. Alternatively, the canopy preferably provides atleast one meter, more preferably two meters, most preferably threemeters of distance between the first and second umbrellas. Furthermore,drapes such as those taught in U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,336 can be suitablyadapted for use with the disclosed concepts taught herein, thusproviding side coverage from sun and rain. Moreover, the width of thecanopy can be chosen such that it is longer than the widths of both thefirst and second umbrellas, thus allowing the canopy to utilize the fullwidth of the first and second umbrellas as a support for the canopy.

Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventivesubject matter will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanyingdrawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a canopy system.

FIG. 2 is a close-up perspective view of one embodiment of a fastener ofa canopy system.

FIG. 3 is a close-up perspective view of a fastener attached to anunmodified portion of an umbrella.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a canopy system attached to a firstumbrella.

FIGS. 5 a-5 f show various embodiments of support structure for a canopysystem.

FIG. 6 is a side view of one embodiment of a canopy system attached to afirst and second umbrella.

FIG. 7 is a side view of one embodiment of a canopy system attached to afirst and second umbrella.

FIG. 8 is a side view of one embodiment of a canopy system attached to afirst and second umbrella.

FIG. 9 is a side view of one embodiment of a canopy system attached to afirst and second umbrella.

FIG. 10 is a top view of one embodiment of a canopy system for attachinga first, second, and third umbrella.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a canopy system 100 having a canopy 105 and fasteners 110.Canopy 105 can be made of any commercially available material suitablefor joining two umbrellas. Preferably, canopy 105 is made of a waterresistant fabric and/or light reflective colors and materials in orderto protect a user from rain or sun light. Canopy 105 can optionallyinclude pleats, allowing canopy 105 to expand and retract in anaccordion-like fashion. In this manner, the length of canopy 105 can beadjusted by bringing the umbrellas closer together or thriller apart.Canopy 105 may also include a logo, advertisement, or decorative image.Canopy 105 is preferably made of a light weight material and can befolded or rolled up in order to facilitate portability and storage.

Canopy 105 can be sized and dimensioned such that it provides coveragefor one person, in addition to the two people holding the umbrellas.More preferably, canopy 105 can be sized and dimensioned to providecoverage for many people, in addition to the two people holding theumbrellas. In one embodiment, canopy 105 is sized and dimensioned toprovide coverage for a large group of elementary grade students.

Canopy 105 can also be configured to overlap with a substantial portionof a covering of an umbrella, thus providing a seamless coverage area. A“substantial portion” of a covering of an umbrella means at least half,more preferably two-thirds, most preferably all, of the umbrellacovering's surface area is overlapped by the canopy.

FIG. 2 is a close-up of a fastener 110, which comprises a big ring and achain of smaller rings. FIG. 3 is a close-up of fastener 110 attached toa spoke 305 of an umbrella 300. Spoke 305, also called a rib, is anelongated member included within umbrella 300 for the purpose ofproviding support to the covering of umbrella 300. Spoke 305 is an“unmodified portion” of umbrella 300, meaning spoke 305 was notespecially manufactured and included within umbrella 300 for the purposeof attaching fasteners of a canopy system. Fastener 110 is configured toremoveable attach to spoke 305 by looping one of the small rings aroundthe end of spoke 305. The chain of rings allows fastener 110 to attachto different size umbrellas. For example, fastener 110 could attach toan umbrella with a smaller diameter than that of umbrella 300 by using aring higher up on the chain. In an alternative embodiment, a fastenercapable of attaching to different size umbrellas is provided byutilizing an elastic cord with one ring at the end.

Fastener 110 could also be configured to attach to an unmodified portionof umbrella 300 other than spoke 305. For example, fastener 110 couldcomprise a pin on canopy 105 that is configured to pierce an edge of thefabric of umbrella 300. In this manner, canopy 105 can be removeablyattached to any existing umbrella having an edge made of a fabric. Thus,the canopy system advantageously functions with “existing umbrellas”(e.g. umbrellas already being sold on the market and/or not specificallymanufactured to couple with a canopy system). Furthermore, the canopysystem is capable of functioning with many different umbrella types andsizes. While fasteners 110 preferably attach to an unmodified portion ofan umbrella, it is also contemplated that fasteners 110 could optionallybe capable of coupling to modified portions of an umbrella. In thismanner, a canopy system can be used with existing umbrellas that have nospecial features for attaching a canopy system, and also with especiallymanufactured umbrellas (e.g. umbrellas that have been especiallymanufactured with features for attaching a fastener of a canopy).

Fastener 110 could be any fastener suitable for removeably attachingcanopy 105 to an unmodified portion of an existing umbrella, such as theedge of a covering of the umbrella, an end of a spoke of the umbrella,or a top protrusion of the umbrella. Removeable fasteners are well knownand may include, but are not limited to, hook and loop fasteners, pins,buttons, adhesive-backed hook and loop fasteners, magnets, clamps,elastic cords, and combinations thereof. As used herein, “releaseablefastener” and “removeable fastener” means the fastener allows the canopyto be completely removed from the umbrella, even though a portion of thefastener remains on the umbrella. Thus, a hook and loop fastener with anadhesive backing that has been attached to an existing umbrella is areleaseable and removeable fastener, even though a component of thefastener remains attached to the umbrella after the canopy is removed.

Canopy 105 can include multiple fasteners, either integrated within thecanopy, or removeably attached to the canopy. The fasteners can be ofdifferent kinds (e.g. magnets, pills, buttons, adhesives, hook and loopfasteners) and configurations in order to ensure that the canopy iscapable of connecting with all kinds, varieties, configurations, andsizes of existing umbrellas. The fasteners can also be configured toattach to different unmodified portions on an umbrella.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of canopy system 100 attached to umbrella300 via fasteners 110. All of the fasteners 110 have been attached toends of the spokes of umbrella 300, as shown and explained in FIG. 3. Inthis manner, canopy 100 remains attached to umbrella 300 during use, andcan be easily detached when no longer needed. The opposite end of canopy100 would also have fasteners for attaching that end to a secondumbrella (not shown).

When the canopy is sized and dimensioned to provide coverage formultiple people, the canopy system can include support structure formaintaining a desired shape of the canopy. Examples of contemplatedsupport structure include, but are not limited to, telescopic poles,hollow poles with an elastic inner cord, twistable metal wire, andfibers within the canopy fabric. FIGS. 5 a-5 f show various supportstructures that can be used with and/or included within a canopy system,as discussed below.

Telescopic poles, such as those taught in US Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2005/0011134, can be suitably adapted for use with thedisclosed concepts taught herein. FIG. 5 a is a side view of atelescopic pole 505. When the canopy is not in use, pole 505 can becollapsed and stored. When the canopy system is being used, pole 505 canbe coupled to the canopy system, either before or after the canopysystem is attached to a plurality of umbrellas. Pole 505 can couple to acanopy via any suitable fastening means, such as by inserting the polewithin a sleeve, pocket, or loop of the canopy, or by utilizing springclamps, hook and loop fasteners, pins or other fasteners. Attachmentmethods and fasteners are not limited to the exact details of theconstruction and enumeration of the parts described above. Pole 505 canalso attach to the umbrella itself, and preferably attaches tounmodified portions of both umbrellas, thus providing a supportstructure for the canopy that is capable of attaching to existingumbrellas and umbrellas not especially manufactured to attach withsupport structure of a canopy system.

FIG. 5 b is a side view of a collapsible pole 510. Pole 510 comprisesseveral short sections attached to one another with elastic cords 512.The ends of each section are configured to mate with each adjacent end,allowing pole 510 to be assembled in an extended fashion. When pole 510is extended, it can be coupled with a canopy system in order to providesupport and maintain a desired shape of the canopy. Pole 510 can bedisassembled when the canopy system is stored away. It is alsocontemplated that pole 510 can attach to unmodified portions of a firstand second umbrella. Furthermore, the mating ends of each section ofpole 510 can be configured to lock with the adjacent section, thusallowing pole 510 to resist tensile forces.

FIGS. 5 c and 5 d show top and side views, respectively, of a bendablepole 515. Pole 515 has hinge 516, which allows pole 515 to be folded upwhen not in use. Pole 515 preferably has a plurality of hinges, allowingpole 515 to be folded up into a short length for easy storage andportability. When pole 515 is unfolded and completely extended, pole 515can be coupled with a canopy system and/or umbrellas, thus providing asupport structure for attaching a canopy to the umbrellas, similar topoles 505 and 510.

FIGS. 5 e and 5 f show poles 520 and 525 respectively. Pole 520 has anelastic cord 522 running through a hollow portion of pole 520, and canbe used to attach pole 520 to an unmodified portion of an umbrella, suchas a protrusion on top of the umbrella. Pole 525 is similar to pole 520,except that elastic cords 526 and 527 are attached to each end of pole525 and do not run through a hollow portion of pole 525.

Support structures other than poles are contemplated. One example thatcould be suitably adapted for use with the disclosed concepts taughtherein include US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0089429 andU.S. Pat. No. 6,109,281, which disclose collapsible support structures(i.e. twistable metal wire) for a canopy. The twistable metal wire canbe integrated within the canopy portion. The wire within the canopyprovides support and helps maintain a desired shape, and further allowsthe canopy system to be folded up when not in use, similar to manycommon windshield reflectors and pop-up beach tents. Structural supportcan also be provided by using a rigid fabric in various sectionsthroughout the canopy or by simply utilizing an elastic cord withinsleeves of the canopy. In sum, the support structure can comprise anyelement suitable for aiding in maintaining a desired shape of thecanopy, or otherwise improving the structural strength of the canopysystem.

FIG. 6 shows a canopy system 600, comprising a pole 610, canopy 620, andvarious fasteners 630. Canopy system 600 is removeably attached to afirst umbrella 640 and a second umbrella 650 via fasteners 630, in asimilar fashion to fasteners 110 of FIG. 3. Pole 610 is provided toprevent canopy 620 from sagging or drooping downward in between thefirst umbrella 640 and second umbrella 650. Pole 610 attaches to anunmodified portion of first and second umbrellas 640 and 650, similar topole 520 as discussed above. When canopy system 600 is removed fromfirst and second umbrellas 640 and 650, canopy 620 can be folded andpole 610 can be collapsed for easy storage and portability. Canopy 620also has pleats 625 for allowing the length of canopy 620 to be adjustedby expanding/flattening or folding/tightening the elastic pleatedsections in an accordion-like fashion. Canopy 620 is preferably sizedand dimensioned such that the coverings and support structure of thefirst and second umbrellas do not overlap or interfere with one anotherwhen joined by canopy 620.

FIG. 7 shows a canopy system 700, comprising a canopy 720 havingtwistable wires 710. Canopy system 700 can couple with first and secondumbrellas 740 and 750 by placing the wires 710 around the circumferenceof umbrellas 740 and 750. Canopy 720 has a width 722, which is sized anddimensioned to entirely overlap umbrellas 740 and 750, thus providing a“seamless” coverage area. Canopy 720 has holes 724 and 726 for receivingprotrusions 745 and 755 of umbrellas 740 and 750, respectively. Canopysystem 700 is releaseably fastened to the umbrellas by simply placingcanopy system 700 over umbrellas 740 and 750. However, it is alsocontemplated that canopy system can optionally include fasteners formore securely fastening the canopy system 700 to umbrellas 740 and 750.Holes 724 and 726 can also be configured to include fasteners forremoveably attaching canopy system 700 to umbrellas 740 and 750. Canopy720 also has a plurality of channels and ridges 725 for channeling wateraway from the users. When canopy system 700 is not being used, canopy720 can be folded and wires 710 can be folded or twisted, allowing forcompact storage of canopy system 700.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show other embodiments of canopy systems having atwistable metal wire as a support structure. In FIG. 8, canopy system800 has a canopy 820 and twistable wire 810 comprising four loops.Canopy system 800 is configured to attach to umbrellas 840 and 850 byplacing the canopy system 800 over the coverings of umbrellas 840 and850. In FIG. 9, canopy system 900 has a canopy 920 and twistable wires910. Wires 910 comprise four closed-loops shaped generally as halfcircles within canopy 920. Canopy system 900 is configured to removeablyattach to umbrellas 940 and 950 in a fashion similar to canopy system800. Thus, various shapes, orientations, and configurations of twistableand foldable wires within the canopy can be used to provide a foldablesupport structure for the canopy systems taught herein.

FIG. 10 shows a canopy system 1000, having a canopy 1005 and fasteners1010. Canopy 1005 is shaped generally as a triangle. Each of the threecorners of the triangle has fasteners 1010 for fastening canopy 1005 tounmodified portions of three separate and distinct umbrellas. Canopy1000 is useful for joining three umbrellas together in order to create avery large coverage area. One of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that many different shapes and configurations can be utilizedin a manner consistent with the inventive concepts taught herein to jointhree umbrellas. For example, canopy 1005 can be shaped such that threeumbrellas are joined in a linear fashion. One of ordinary skill willalso appreciate that more than three umbrellas can be joined, in amanner consistent with the inventive concepts taught herein.

While the canopy systems taught herein are specifically contemplated tojoin two or more umbrellas, those skilled in the art will furtherappreciate that the inventive subject matter can be applied tostructures other than umbrellas, such as coverings, canopies, beachtents, camping tents, awnings, and patio table umbrellas. It is alsocontemplated that a canopy system could be used to connect an umbrellato a fixed structure, such as an awning or wall. Furthermore, it iscontemplate that a canopy system can be used to cover things other thanpeople, such as pets, tables, perishable items, or other inanimateobjects.

It should be apparent to those skilled in the a that many moremodifications besides those already described are possible withoutdeparting from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subjectmatter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of theappended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification andthe claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possiblemanner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises”and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements,components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that thereferenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized,or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are notexpressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at leastone of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . andN, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from thegroup, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.

1. A canopy system comprising: first, second, and third independentlyusable umbrellas, each defining a coverage area thereunder; first,second, and third support poles removably attachable to the first,second, and third umbrellas and defining a distance therebetween; acanopy configured to couple with the umbrellas and forming a coveragearea thereunder that is larger than the sum of the coverage areas of thefirst, second, and third umbrellas, wherein the canopy further comprisesat least one fastener coupled with the canopy and configured toremovably attach to unmodified portions of the first, second, and thirdumbrellas, and first, second, and third sleeves disposed on the canopyto removably receive first. second, and third support poles,respectively.
 2. The canopy system of claim 1, wherein the fastener isconfigured to attach to unmodified portions on a plurality of umbrellashaving varied configurations and sizes.
 3. The canopy system of claim 1,wherein the fastener is integral with the canopy.